This aroma wheel shows some of the characteristics tasters commonly find in wines. It was created by the Chronicle and is not the same as Ann C. Noble's more comprehensive Wine Aroma Wheel. Chronicle illustration by Dan Hubig. Chronicle graphic by Ellie Winter

This aroma wheel shows some of the characteristics tasters commonly...

It's a conundrum to some who read wine publications: How can cat-pee aromas in wine be good, yet horse manure be bad? Wet slate is in, wet dog is out? Sweat is positive, but dirty gym socks are not? And why don't critics say that wine tastes like grapes?

Some folks make a big stink over wine descriptors. They say they can't understand how aromas of chocolate, cigar box, forest floor and pencil lead get into wine. They say wine lingo is mumbo jumbo. They complain that critics talk over their heads.

Yet these aromas can indeed be found in wine -- some of them good, some bad and some debatable (see below). Wine grapes naturally have aroma and flavor compounds similar to those found in the objects they smell like. Certain winemaking techniques add other traits that can be smelled and tasted in the finished wine. Each taster's sensory skills, experience and desire to look deeper into each glass of wine determines how useful wine descriptors are.

Consider the cartoon Lettie Teague drew for the book she co-authored with Leslie Brenner, "Fear of Wine" (Bantam Books, 1995). It showed four men, each holding a wine glass and each man labeled -- beginner, intermediate, advanced and wine geek.

The beginner admires the glass and says, "Pretty tasty and it's got a good kick."

The intermediate says, "Soft and fruity. Nice nose."

The advanced taster: "Ripe, well-balanced with an excellent balance of flavors and dense, chewy tannins."

The wine geek: "Olive and earth notes accent a plum and raspberry character. A concentrated finish with firm tannins that wrap around the ripe berry flavor. Needs another 10 years' cellaring."

The beginner can love wine just as much as the connoisseur. Because of the wide range in readers' knowledge, inquisitiveness and passion, most wine critics write for all audiences, from the novice who simply wants to know, "Did you like it?" -- to aficionados who want detail and depth, and who view wine as an intellectual as well as sensory pleasure.

Like movie and restaurant reviewers, wine critics must find words to describe what they taste so that consumers can determine whether a particular varietal has the aromas, flavors, weight and body they like -- or not. Describing a beverage based on the impression it makes on one's nose and palate is highly subjective because not everything tastes the same to everyone.

And there's no accounting for taste -- one person's passion for diesel- fumed German Riesling is another's idea of palate punishment.

No descriptors used in The Chronicle Wine section raise as much hair on the back of reader necks as "cat pee" and "sweat." They appear, as they do today, in our tasting panel comments on Sauvignon Blancs from the Marlborough region of New Zealand (see page F4). In addition to the wines' fresh citrus and passion fruit characteristics and brisk acidity, some have what Kiwi winemakers consider "true Marlborough" hints of armpit (slightly musky) and cat pee (a pungently "perfumed" mix of herbs, asparagus, green bean and bell pepper).

Vintners are unsure what causes the sweat character; they do know that compounds inherent in the grapes, pyrazines, are the source of cat pee notes. Pyrazines dissipate in the sun as fruit ripens; the less ripe the grapes, the more pungent the Sauvignon Blanc.

Those who truly love this style see "cat pee" and "sweat" in a review and head for the store to buy the wines that have these qualities.

Others see red.

Even Consumer Reports gave a thumbs-up to cat pee in its November 2004 issue, describing the aroma as "... a legitimate, and often desirable, description. Compare it to an off-note that adds complexity to a piece of music."

Still, we get letters.

Because there is more than one way to skin a cat-pee reference, after today, our descriptors for this nose-prickling aroma will include "pungent," "herbal" and the most descriptive, yet way less obvious -- "boxwood" -- a shrub that grows in California and emits a fume-y feline scent. It's doesn't do the evocative cat pee real justice, but we've settled out of court on this one.

After this week, perspiration is wicked away, too. Fans of sweaty Sauvignon Blanc will need to look for the code word "musky" in our tasting grid comments.

Diesel stays. Not negotiable.

To earn recommendation, Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs have to have a lot more going on than seemingly weird smells. They have ripe fruit aromas and flavors of grapefruit, gooseberry, passion fruit, kiwi and stone fruit, with pleasant hints of fresh-cut grass, fresh pea and mineral; sometimes jalapeno creeps in. The top wines have fresh fruit and brisk acidity; cat pee, uh, I mean boxwood, and musk are well in the background, adding complexity and intrigue yet not overwhelming the wine.

In winespeak, that's what's known as a balanced wine.

Not all wine lingo is this off-beat. Fruit and flower aromas are fairly easy to understand. "Spice," "toast" and "butter" are pretty upfront, too. Flawed wines can have aromas of "skunk," "rotten eggs" and "nail polish remover," and are obviously awful.

Memory helps tasters (and this word is used loosely, as most of wine sensory evaluation involves the nose) hone their wine vocabularly.

If the first stick of gum you chewed was Wrigley's Juicy Fruit, a similar tutti-frutti aroma in a white wine may remind you of childhood. Gardeners and florists will easily identify lavender and honeysuckle notes in wine. Who hasn't eaten a berry? Fresh berry smells can be found in many red wines, among them raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, cranberry, huckleberry, loganberry and marionberry. Simple "berry" works, too.

Winemaking techniques can add to a wine's set of aromas and flavors. Different types of yeasts used for fermentation, specific types of oak barrels and how they are toasted, fining and filtering agents and other treatments influence texture, aroma and flavor. Conditions in the cellar can lead to the development of Brettanomyces (a type of yeast that gives wine an earthy, leathery aroma) Corks and cellars can become tainted by 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, or TCA, which leaves wine with a dulled nose and palate at best, and wet- cardboard aromas and flavors at worst.

Words like "crisp" (refreshing and palate-cleansing), "tannic" (the puckery astringency that comes from grape skins and seeds), "buttery" (from a secondary malolactic fermentation) and "woody" (lots of oak character from the time the wine spent in barrels) are also common in winespeak and help wine drinkers describe what they like and don't like.

"Hot" refers to a wine that is high in alcohol, that actually leaves a burn in the back of the throat. A "long finish" is desired; this is where the flavor and texture remain on the palate long after a wine is swallowed. Tasters are shortchanged by a short finish. "Body," "weight" and "texture" refer to how the wine feels in the mouth -- is it lean or heavy, thin or viscous, silky or rough?

The jargon really starts to kick in when we describe a wine as "jammy." Think of Smucker's blackberry jam, loaded with ripe, sometimes cooked, fruit aromas and flavors.

Part of the intrigue of wine evaluation is to zero in on specifics. One person's dark chocolate is another's milk chocolate, and another's white chocolate. Is the pepper black or white? The wine is spicy -- is it nutmeg? Cinnamon? Clove? Or a blend of baking spices?

Would that be fresh asparagus or canned? Burnt toast or buttered? Green olive or black? Bing cherry or black cherry? Cantaloupe or honeydew?

And how about those gooseberries in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc? The fact is, most Americans have not tasted a gooseberry and when they have, it's likely to have been a screechingly tart, green Oregon gooseberry. Southern Hemisphere winemakers use the gooseberry descriptor for the husk-covered Cape gooseberry, which has a riper, tropical flavor.

In wine, texture and mouthfeel are as important as flavors and aromas.

"Fat" and "flabby" describe wines that lack the acidity that gives freshness, a crisp finish and an ability to cleanse the palate when consumed with food. Conversely, "thin" is not always in when it comes to wine, for it usually means it lacks body and flavor -- it's watery and simple.

For the most heinous descriptors for wine, animals get a lot of blame; not only can they not help smelling the way they do, they also can't defend themselves.

Whereas cat pee/muskiness in Sauvignon Blanc and bacon fat in Syrah can be positive characteristics, not so charming are "mousey," "mouse droppings," "skunk" and "fish." Golden retriever Goober takes a dip in the lake and emerges smelling of wet dog. Wine can emerge from the bottle this way, too, and it's not pretty. Ditto "horse manure" and "wet horse blanket."

In 1995, now-retired UC Davis enology professor Ann C. Noble created the Wine Aroma Wheel, a pie-chart grouping of aromas used to describe wine. Her intent was to establish a vocabulary for winemaking students to use during the learning process; now the wheel is universally used to help wine drinkers identify both flaws and favorable characteristics in wine.

Professor Hildegard Heymann, who took over Davis' sensory evaluation research in 2003, says, "Taste buds can detect only bitter, sour, salty and sweet, and a fifth taste, umami. The palate can also detect astringency, viscosity, heat and cold; everything else we perceive comes from our sense of smell. The aroma wheel is useful for what it is, yet not every descriptor is on it."

Heymann equates the usefulness of wine reviews with movie reviews. In years of watching Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert evaluate films on TV, she learned each man's likes and dislikes and was able to choose flicks by factoring in their preferences.

"Consistency in reviewing wine is the same as it is with movies," she says. "If you perceive that (a reviewer) consistently likes cherry and berry in Pinot Noir, and you do, too, those Pinots that are recommended by that person are more likely to be the ones you like."

Still, you have to see the movie, or taste the wine, to fully understand the validity of the review.

Wine critics and others have embellished Noble's UC Davis vocabulary in an attempt to be more precise in their descriptions. Many reviewers enjoy the mental stimulation of crafting clever comments. Others delight in writing what amount to doctoral dissertations. Some try to appeal to a certain type of wine drinker. Language and phrasing varies throughout the world.

Europeans -- especially the cheeky and competitive British wine press - - have their own words, such as "plonk" (cheap wine), "greengage" (a green plum), "peardrop" (not in my Merriam-Webster) and "hedgerow blossoms."

The British are also fond of the term "attack," which they use to describe the initial impression of a wine in the mouth. Ouch.

Santa Rosa-based Wine X magazine, which caters to Gen-Xers, has its own special style, as in this online review for March 13-23:

Certain wine descriptors draw more curiosity from our readers than others. They ask, "How did (fill in the blank) get into the wine? Isn't wine just fermented grapes?" It would take a chemistry degree to understand all the issues, so for those who majored in English, here's the down -- and sometimes dirty -- on selected terms used to describe wine:

THE GOOD

Chocolate: No, winemakers don't add a Hershey's Kiss to the barrel. Chocolate aromas and flavors -- dark, milk and white -- are identified in red wines and are inherent in the grapes, particularly those made from Bordeaux varieties. They can also be formed in the fermentation and barrel- aging process.

Cigar box, tobacco leaf: Characteristics of some red wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. They come from natural compounds formed when grapes meet yeast and oak barrels. Whether you smoke or not, these complex qualities can be desirable in high-caliber red wines.

Forest floor: A term for a woodsy, earthy, pine-needle character in red wine that adds complexity. Although it sounds bizarre, this trait is appreciated by those who enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mushroom, soy sauce: Pinot Noir lovers value these characteristics, as long as they are in the background and not the predominant aroma/flavor of the wine. Few other varietals have these traits.

Pencil lead: A graphite aroma that, like cigar box, adds interest to the nose of a wine.

Roasted meat: Also referred to as smoked meat and bacon fat, this descriptor is commonly found in wines made from Syrah (also known as Shiraz). It's prized in the Syrah-based wines of France.

Vanilla: This aroma and flavor comes from oak barrels in which both white and red wines age. French oak barrels impart the most vanillin character; American-made barrels tend to lend some coconut and dill aromas..

THE BAD

Band-Aid, horsey: The distinctive smell of an adhesive strip, or a wet horse blanket, is usually caused by Brettanomyces ("Brett"), a spoilage yeast that can grow in cellars and barrels and find its way into wine. Mousy, sweaty and leathery aromas also can be caused by Brett.

Wet cardboard, wet newspaper: Aroma- and taste-dulling TCA - 2,4,6- trichloroanisole -- is a compound that can form in older cellars and in natural corks when mold interacts with the cleaning agent chlorine. Wines affected by TCA are said to be "corked."

Wet dog -- Blame Brett..

THE UGLY

Nail polish remover, vinegar: All wine contains numerous acids, and a certain amount is necessary to keep the wine refreshing. When there is too much acetic acid or ethyl acetate, a wine can take on these obnoxious odors. Wines smelling of nail polish remover (acetone) or vinegar are said to be high in volatile acidity ("VA" for short).

Rotten eggs, skunk: Hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans are to blame. These compounds can form with the improper use of sulfur-based products in the cellar. When used correctly, sulfur treatments help preserve wine..

IT DEPENDS

Barnyard: In small amounts, this earthy (the French call it animal) aroma can add character to wine. Like Brett and cat pee, a barnyard aroma is a love- it-or-hate-it deal for different tasters.

Cat pee: A green, herbaceous aroma in white wine that many find intriguing. Like gooseberry, it's characteristic of Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand, and for aficionados of the category, a wine missing its pipi du chat would be a disappointment. Cat pee is not to be confused with "cat box" -- there is no debate on how awful that would be.

Diesel/petrol: Acceptable, and expected, in the great Rieslings of Germany. Combined with the effusive aromas and flavors of apricot and citrus, plus minerality and high natural acidity, this petroleum character makes some tasters swoon. It would be completely unexpected in any other wine.

Sherried/maderized: When wine is exposed to too much oxygen, some alcohol is converted into acetaldehyde, which gives the wine a nutty character. It's desired in Sherry and Madeira, but not in table wines.

Sweat: Armpit smells are found in some Sauvignon Blancs; it's a muskiness that makes a wine distinctive and more complex. It can be a product of cool- climate grapegrowing, where certain compounds remain in the fruit because it doesn't get entirely ripe. In the case of sweaty gym socks or a sweaty saddle, the contributor is usually Brett or another microbial problem in the cellar.

Same wine, different words

One of the beauties of wine is that everyone has his/her own likes and dislikes. Although wine companies conduct research to predict what consumers want to drink and what styles wine writers will rate highly, the question of whether a particular wine delivers enjoyment is purely subjective.

To show how different wine descriptions can be, we took one of The Chronicle's current favorite Merlots, the 2002 Pride Mountain Vineyards Napa/Sonoma Merlot ($52), and compared Chronicle taster W. Blake Gray's notes with those from two other important wine publications, plus the winery's own description. Everyone loved the Merlot, yet said so in different ways.

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine (March 2005) -- 92 points out of 100. "... this deep and complete wine combines lots of fancy oak with fruit that has both the succulence of flatland grapes as well as some of the structure that comes from its mountain-top home. It is rich in creme brulee character and mixes the ripe cherry fruit of Merlot with the brightness of fresh cranberries in a friendly, open set of flavors ..."

Robert M. Parker Jr./The Wine Advocate (Feb. 28, 2005) -- 90 points out of 100. "... elegant, with wonderfully sweet black cherry fruit intermixed with a hint of mocha, white chocolate and some background sappy wood notes. Its beautiful integration of acidity and tannin make for an elegant, polished and stunning Merlot ...."